Chris Pickering
EDC 430
Observe/Reflect #2
Dr. Fogleman Observations
Date: October 12, 2011
Time: 7:30-11:15
Today is my second day at Narragansett High. Now that I have a better idea of what to expect, I am looking forward to observing the student behavior. I also have a better idea of what students to keep an eye on and which students are well behaved. The day is set up similar to last week with an off period first then a two hour long period because of testing. During the off period I meet the principals (one happens to be my middle school cross country coach) and I learn how to used the copier, which is very important for any teacher.
The first period begins and I will be observing an accelerated Biology II class. During this period the students will be working in groups on their common task. This is 50% of their grade for the quarter and is a very detailed project on plants. The students are required to collect a number of different species of plants, dry them, identify them, and draw them. After this, the students will construct a medicine and test them on a variety of different bacteria.
While the students are in their groups, I observe their behavior. Every group is working hard on drawing their plants except one. In one group, there is a girl doing a lot of drawings and 2 boys with their heads on the desk sleeping. Mr. Zabel pretty much ignores it because he said that even though the students are in groups, it is an individual grade. If the students don’t do the work in class, they have to do it at home.
After about an hour of the students working diligently, some of the groups start to get off topic. There starts to be a lot of talking going on and not as much working. Mr. Zabel expected this since the period is almost double its normal length. He allows the students to talk as long as they are quiet and not disrupting other groups that want to work. He moves around from group to group asking if they need help and assisting when needed. Reflections
I believe that this was a challenging class period that was handled well by the teacher. The students were in groups for nearly two hours. This can be a long time for students to work and stay on task. I believe my CT did a good job mediating the work without being extremely strict about talking. As long as the groups were working he would leave them alone.
Student engagement in my lessons is important to me. I also believe that the responsibility of student engagement falls more on the teacher than it does on the student. I realize that being in high school is difficult. It is hard to pay attention to every lesson. There is a lot going on in a high school students life that is honestly much more important than biology class sometimes. It is my goal to be able to take students minds off of everything else and be involved in class. I will do this by relating my teachings to their life. If they are learning something that is useful to them, the students are more likely to listen. I also realize that it is going to be nearly impossible to engage all my students every day. As a teacher, you can not let this affect you, and you have to continue on with the lesson for the students that are engaged and are into the lesson. Class Topic: Plants and Bacteria Grade: 10 and 11 Observed By: Chris Pickering
EDC 430
Observe/Reflect #2
Dr. Fogleman
Observations
Date: October 12, 2011
Time: 7:30-11:15
Today is my second day at Narragansett High. Now that I have a better idea of what to expect, I am looking forward to observing the student behavior. I also have a better idea of what students to keep an eye on and which students are well behaved. The day is set up similar to last week with an off period first then a two hour long period because of testing. During the off period I meet the principals (one happens to be my middle school cross country coach) and I learn how to used the copier, which is very important for any teacher.
The first period begins and I will be observing an accelerated Biology II class. During this period the students will be working in groups on their common task. This is 50% of their grade for the quarter and is a very detailed project on plants. The students are required to collect a number of different species of plants, dry them, identify them, and draw them. After this, the students will construct a medicine and test them on a variety of different bacteria.
While the students are in their groups, I observe their behavior. Every group is working hard on drawing their plants except one. In one group, there is a girl doing a lot of drawings and 2 boys with their heads on the desk sleeping. Mr. Zabel pretty much ignores it because he said that even though the students are in groups, it is an individual grade. If the students don’t do the work in class, they have to do it at home.
After about an hour of the students working diligently, some of the groups start to get off topic. There starts to be a lot of talking going on and not as much working. Mr. Zabel expected this since the period is almost double its normal length. He allows the students to talk as long as they are quiet and not disrupting other groups that want to work. He moves around from group to group asking if they need help and assisting when needed.
Reflections
I believe that this was a challenging class period that was handled well by the teacher. The students were in groups for nearly two hours. This can be a long time for students to work and stay on task. I believe my CT did a good job mediating the work without being extremely strict about talking. As long as the groups were working he would leave them alone.
Student engagement in my lessons is important to me. I also believe that the responsibility of student engagement falls more on the teacher than it does on the student. I realize that being in high school is difficult. It is hard to pay attention to every lesson. There is a lot going on in a high school students life that is honestly much more important than biology class sometimes. It is my goal to be able to take students minds off of everything else and be involved in class. I will do this by relating my teachings to their life. If they are learning something that is useful to them, the students are more likely to listen. I also realize that it is going to be nearly impossible to engage all my students every day. As a teacher, you can not let this affect you, and you have to continue on with the lesson for the students that are engaged and are into the lesson.
Class Topic: Plants and Bacteria
Grade: 10 and 11
Observed By: Chris Pickering